The Things You Say
by shinku-chan
Summary: Naruto overhears a conversation between Sasuke and his fangirls; it tears him apart. Will Naruto and Sasuke ever be friends again? {SasuNaru and KakaIru}
1. Libra

Disclaimer #1: No, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it… Why? Because Kishimoto Masashi and his gang of manga-ka in black suits beat me at that damn poker match… XD Naw, I'm kidding. But the characters in this fic are (c) Kishimoto Masashi. 

Disclaimer #2: This fic is SHONEN-AI, more so, SLASH, GAY, blah blah blah. There are many words for guy on guy action, isn't there? XD;; But yeah, if you're not into this stuff, then okay, click the back button. @_@;

HOI! Begin the fic, na no da. XD;

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The Things You Say

**-Chapter one : the Libra-**

Eyes wide, form crouched; camouflaged in thick trees. Sunlight dappled his face as he watched the figure beneath him stop.

"Naruto, you're breathing too loud."

Suddenly, a pair of shurinken shot into the trees, impaling the bark where the blond had previously been. With fast reflexes, he had leapt down from the tree, and charged his rival head on.

"Dobe."

Naruto's fist was clenched, ready to strike, but the black-haired boy was ready. He held both arms crossed in front of his face, but nothing connected.

Well, nothing connected _there._

"Don't call me dobe, Sasuke-bastard!" Naruto yelled, lifting his knee to strike his opponent hard in the gut. With wind knocked out of him, Sasuke's eyes widened, and he flew back from such a heavy blow. Quick to his feet, he managed to block a string of Naruto's assaults; kick, punch, uppercut, kick, jab, kick. Sasuke blocked or dodged them easily, as he had quite the upper hand when it came to speed.

Forming several intricate hand positions, Sasuke summoned a fireball and launched it at his rival. The blond narrowed his eyes, and summoned his Shadow Replica technique at the last second. One of his Replicas jumped in front of the fireball, taking the hit, meanwhile the other dozens jumped at Sasuke. Pulling out a couple of shurinken, Sasuke annihilated all the Replicas. Only one remained. He smirked in satisfaction, and then charged the real Naruto.

The blond withdrew his two shurinken, and the two began to spar. Neither of the two managed to hit one another, but they both stood their ground. Naruto blocked all of Sasuke's strikes, and in turn, Sasuke blocked Naruto's. The two fought for what seemed at least ten minutes. 

Finally, Sasuke flipped one shurinken in his hand, then lashed out at Naruto. It was a direct hit, but instead of blood spilling from the blond's cheek, he exploded into a puff of smoke. Sasuke's eyes widened, and just as he turned, it was too late. Naruto wound up his arm, and punched the black-haired boy hard in the chest. Sasuke grit his teeth as he fell back, but he hand-sprung back to his feet. He had to give the boy credit, as that had been quite the last-minute plan. However, this certainly was not enough to defeat a _Sharingan_. He smirked, then leapt at his rival and round-housed him quite brutally. The blond's eyes widened, and he flew back, smacking the back of his head on a tree. He sank down, and fell to his front. The boy lay there motionless, until Sasuke grew irritated.

"Naruto, get up."

Nothing.

"Naruto, _get up_."

Still nothing.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, then approached the fallen boy and kicked him with the tip of his foot.

"Dobe--" To his surprise, his ankle was grabbed with unseen speed, and he, too, was dragged to the ground. Sasuke bit back a yelp, and fell to his back right beside Naruto.

"I told you not to call me dobe, you bastard." Naruto turned his head to flash Sasuke a grin of triumph. 

"Don't get cocky. You didn't win."

"What?! Then you didn't, either!" Naruto whined, glaring at Sasuke, who glared right back.

"Don't be stupid. You have more damage, and you used more Chakra." The black-haired boy said in his usual cold tone. The blond growled, then sprang onto Sasuke, holding his fist up then brought it down. Of course, it was easily caught by Sasuke's hand around the blond's wrist.

"_Don't be stupid_." The black-haired boy narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. They remained in that position for quite some time; Naruto straddling Sasuke's hips with his wrist in the black-haired boy's grip. A soft breeze floated by, ruffling both boys' hair.

Wait… straddling?!

Naruto jumped back, and Sasuke shot up into a sitting position. They both stared at each other, until finally, Naruto broke the uneasy silence.

"Sasuke, we should head back. I'm hungry." The boy turned his head to the side quickly, avoiding his rival's gaze.

"Whatever." Sasuke said quietly… But just before Naruto turned his head, he could have sworn he saw the blond's cheeks redden. He hid his questioning look, and rose to his feet. Naruto did the same, and started walking in the direction of home. Sasuke followed, several strides away from his rival. They walked in silence for an entire half hour, which was rather surprising. It was rare that Naruto was quiet after "winning" a spar.

"_I've_ got a free Ramen pass. All you can eat!" Naruto grinned in his trademark way, then turned to leave without another word. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, knowing full well that free passes were not given out… Especially _all you can eat_ ones! What was Naruto up to?

"Later." The dark-haired boy said in his toneless way, letting his rival walk away. He stood there, watching as the blond folded his arms behind his head and disappeared down the busy street.

"He said that the other day," Sasuke observed, recalling their last practice match. He had merely let it pass, however, for this to happen again? Something had to be up… But what?

Lagging behind much more than he would any normal person, Sasuke began his pursuit of Naruto. The blond purely seemed to wander; they had passed the Ramen shack at least twice. Perhaps he had already figured out Sasuke was following him? Doubtful. Although, Naruto did have heightened hearing… Sasuke shrugged it off. He continued to follow the blond through alleyways, until finally, Naruto hopped onto a crate, then to a roof. He began to climb higher and higher, until he sprawled out and yawned.

Sasuke remained on the ground, forming a plan in his mind. Nodding, satisfied with his decision, he hopped onto the same crate, then onto a ledge just underneath the rooftop in which Naruto lay. He stood, back glued to the wall, and listened for any sound.

Hours seemed to have flown by. Sasuke began to wonder if his rival had simply fallen asleep. He looked up at the almost completely set sun, and then rolled his eyes. It would be dark soon. Perhaps Naruto only wanted some time alone…

But then he heard it.

Frozen to the wall, Sasuke's eyes widened. Was that sniffling? He strained his ears to try and prove that theory wrong… Unfortunately, it was not.

Naruto was crying.

Sasuke bent one leg at a time, trying to get feeling back into them. He waited for the sounds to cease, but the quiet snuffling was replaced with little snores. Taking this as his opportunity, the dark-haired boy jumped up, grabbing the ledge of the roof and swung himself up. Landing in a crouching position, his eyes fell upon Naruto. He was flat on his back, with a hand resting on his tummy. His head was slightly tilted to the side, with lips slightly parted. The only noise made on this roof was soft snores from Naruto.

Approaching cautiously, Sasuke crawled over to the blond's side. He sat down, with one leg folded at his chest. Dark eyes traveled up Naruto's body, then rested upon his tear-streaked face. Sasuke winced ever so slightly, not understanding what would make the boy cry. He had never really seen him cry before… So it must be something truly important to him. He rolled many things over in his mind, hypothesizing what could be the problem.

Naruto shifted, his body turning in his sleep. He was now facing Sasuke, who remained unmoving.

"Dobe… What did you do?"

Subconsciously, Sasuke reached out and brushed Naruto's tears away. He looked down at his wet finger, and furrowed his brow. Was it that he had been too rough with the fireball in that day's battle? Or maybe he had punctured Naruto's gigantic balloon of pride? No, Sasuke had used his fireball many times with his rival… And the other thought… Sasuke could not help but smile; Naruto's pride could never be dented. 

The moon was shining, casting shadows and illuminating the sky, while the night sky became a blanket of stars. Each star glowed soft or bright, either way it truly was a beautiful sight. They winked down at the two boys, who still remained on the roof. Darkness had fallen long ago, but neither had wanted to go.

Not that Naruto could. He was dead asleep.

Sasuke, too, was lying down, right beside his rival. Hands folded behind his head, he looked up at the sky and stargazed. In the past several hours, he had identified each and every constellation of the zodiac. However, his eyelids started to feel like lead. He took this as a signal that it was time to go home, the both of them.

The dark-haired boy got to his feet, stretching his arms above his head. He looked down at Naruto, who was still fast asleep. Leaving him outside all night like that… He could catch cold.

Not that he cared. Why should he? But if Naruto sneezed all over him during a match…

Heaving a sigh, Sasuke picked the sleeping boy up and held him firmly in his arms. Naruto was fairly light, which was a bonus for Sasuke, as he was rather tired. Holding his rival close, he leaped from the roof and began the fairly short trip to Naruto's home. He landed just outside the boy's open window, crouching down on the windowsill. With an elbow, he nudged the window open completely. Sasuke slowly lowered the boy onto his bed, looking down at the fully clothed Naruto.

"He's missing that hat," Sasuke smirked, scanning the filthy room for Naruto's sleeping cap. Spotting it hanging on a doorknob, Sasuke snuck inside the room and avoided stepping on the sleeping form. He steered clear of all the random items littering the ground, and finally retrieved the hat.

"There." Sasuke whispered, fixing the hat on Naruto's head. He was about to leave, when he felt his hand brush against something cold. Blinking, Sasuke looked down and saw that his hand was touching Naruto's; it was awfully cold. He rolled his eyes, feeling very much like a mother, and pulled his rival's blankets up. Naruto smiled, and mumbled something incoherent in his sleep. Sasuke jumped back a little, eyes wide and cheeks faintly red.

What the hell was he doing?

Sasuke quickly fled the room, and began leaping from roof to roof, speeding towards the Uchiha Mansion. Questions flooded his mind, although the most reoccurring one was, "why?"

The dark-haired boy shook his head. He was not thinking straight at all; it was probably because he was tired. Sasuke landed soundlessly in front of his house, but before he did, he glanced up at the sky. His eyes traveled about, in search of that one particular sign—

Libra.

He sighed, then turned and entered his house. He climbed the many staircases, making his way to his room. The paper door slid open, and Sasuke entered tiredly. He stripped from all clothes, save for his boxers, and then unceremoniously fell into his welcoming bed.

"Dobe…"

**----------------------------------------------------------**

**Author's Notes: **Neeeee?? So how did I do? XD; I'd love to hear your thoughts on this so far. I need some inspiration, too, because my muse is currently whoring himself off to all my other friends. *sighs* But yeah! I'd love to hear from you. XD

**Starry Things: **Well, for those un-diehard Naruto fans out there… Naruto is born October the 10, which means that his zodiac sign is Libra. Gee, I wonder why Sasuke was staring up at it? :O!!


	2. Trust

Disclaimer #1: No, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it… Why? Because Kishimoto Masashi and his gang of manga-ka in black suits beat me at that damn poker match… XD Naw, I'm kidding. But the characters in this fic are (c) Kishimoto Masashi. 

Disclaimer #2: Wow, the last Disclaimer #2 was quite brutal, wasn't it? Well, I'll fluff this one up, 'kay? :3 This fic contains _shonen-ai_, which, if you are not aware of, is boy-on-boy action, gayness, slash… Oi, and I didn't mention, it's between Sasuke and Naruto, aswell as Kakashi and Iruka!

Let chapter two commence, you gangstas!!

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The Things You Say

-Chapter two : the Trust-

Naruto blinked, blue eyes wide as sunlight shone into his room through the wide-open window. He turned his head to the side, catching a tickling breeze on his cheeks. Reaching up, the blond pulled his nightcap off and studied it in front of himself. Wait, nightcap? When did he put _that_ on?

Naruto bolted upright, looking around his ridiculously messy room. Clothes scattered all over the place with old cups of Ramen littering the floors and counters. Towels from previous showers were hanging from the back of his chair, while the fridge held who knew how old milk.

He wondered how on earth he had gotten home. He did not recall waking up and walking home, nor did he recall anyone waking him to drag him home. Naruto narrowed his eyes, looking out the window. Perhaps Iruka-sensei had brought him home? No, if that had been the case, he would have been lectured for hours about staying up late. 

Then how did he get here? The question was eating away at Naruto. It could not have been Kakashi, as he had said he would help Iruka-sensei to clean the classroom. Not Sakura-chan, for she was with Ino buying flowers for Lee. It could not have been Shikamaru… Well, that was a given; it would be too troublesome.

Naruto moaned, shaking his head and trying to think. None of the other villagers cared enough to bring him back to his house.

Cared… Nobody did.

The blond peered outside from the corner of his eye. He watched as a bluebird perched on the corner of a building, all by its lonesome. It chirped, fluttering its little wings and twitched its tail feathers. Naruto figured the little bird was much like himself. The bird had nobody to talk to that would listen, nobody to welcome it when it came home. Nobody for it to love…

…Nobody to love it in return.

Naruto shook his head, and then got out of bed. He slipped into his sandals, which he had probably kicked off in his sleep, then began undressing. Once dressed in new clothes, the blond left his little apartment. Before kicking the door shut, Naruto glanced over at the bird…

But it was gone.

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"Sorry I'm late… A building caught fire, and there was a cat trapped inside—"

"LIAR!!!"

Of course, there was no difference in this day. Kakashi was late, and told the truth as to what caused his tardiness. Naruto and Sakura, being young and naïve as they were, wrongfully accused their sensei of lying.

Sasuke merely sighed.

"Unfortunately, there are no available missions today." Kakashi stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking thoughtful. "And since I had to save that cat—"

Naruto and Sakura glared.

"—I didn't have enough time to make a lesson for today. I figured you could come up with something." Kakashi's visible eye smiled, foreseeing what was about to unfold.

"**FIGHT**!!!"

"Fight."

"However, I find Sakura has the most sense of responsibility," Kakashi began, completely ignoring Sasuke and Naruto. "If Sakura has any ideas…"

"Of course I do, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura smiled, an air of maturity surrounding her. Naruto beamed, gleaming with pride over the pink-haired girl. "I think we need to learn how to trust each other!" Sakura chimed, gazing at Sasuke with sparkling eyes.

Sasuke glared to the side, Naruto nodded and pretended to know what she had meant, and Kakashi merely smiled.

"So it's decided! Sakura, can you explain this lesson to Sasuke and Naruto? I have to be somewhere." Kakashi spoke in that happy but enigmatic way, not leaving much room for questioning. Sakura smiled and nodded simply, bidding farewell to the silver-haired man who left with a wave. The three students were left to themselves, each with a different thought on their minds.

"Kakashi-sensei has been leaving a lot lately, ne?" Sakura observed, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Konohamaru says that Iruka-sensei has also been leaving, too." Naruto said, looking thoughtful, pretending to look like he was piecing the puzzle together.

"Do you think something is up? Maybe all the other sensei are leaving early, too!" Sakura said, connecting palm and fist with a small "slap".

"It's none of our business." Sasuke spoke up, pushing off from his position on the wall to walk over to his teammates. Sakura nodded enthusiastically, smiling dreamily at the dark-haired boy. Naruto glared and crossed his arms, hating how Sasuke somehow always managed to steal Sakura's attention.

"You're right, Sasuke-kun!" The pink-haired girl beamed, clutching her hands to her chest in that fan-girl gesture. Sasuke glanced over at Naruto, who glowered right back. Apparently the blond did not know who had brought him home last night. Not that he cared. Things would have ended up for the worst, as Naruto most likely would have freaked out and called him a bastard. A fight would break out, and—

"…And the other will have to catch them when they fall!" Sakura finished, but looked at Sasuke and pouted slightly. "Sasuke-kun?"

The dark-haired boy shook his head, focusing on the task at hand.

"Do you understand, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, walking over to him and smiling warmly. Sasuke mumbled a 'whatever', and then Sakura stood in front of him. She took a step forward, and without another word, she fell backward. Sasuke merely watched as she plummeted towards the ground, and without bothering to catch the pink-haired girl, there was a loud 'thunk!' and a shrill cry.

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"Don't worry, she's merely suffering from a minor concussion." The nurse said, smiling kindly. She looked down at her little bulletin board, and then nodded curtly as her farewell. She left the two boys to themselves. They both decided it would be best to leave Sakura in peace, so they quietly left the hospital.

"You were _supposed_ to catch her, Sasuke-bastard!" Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring daggers at his rival. The dark-haired boy did not respond; he merely stood there with his hands in his pockets. "I should kick your ass!"

"Why don't you, then?" Sasuke replied coolly, casting Naruto a sidelong glance. Any normal person would have averted their gaze; Naruto, on the other hand, was far from normal. He merely narrowed his eyes and glowered right back. 

"Do-be." Sasuke syllabified, smirking, knowing quite well how to spark the blond. They had stopped at the front of the school, but something had caught Naruto's attention before he could lunge at Sasuke's neck. 

"Kakashi with Iruka? Huh?"

Both Sasuke and Naruto's gaze had fallen on a particular pony-tailed man, and their silver-haired sensei. Sasuke arched a brow; meanwhile Naruto could only gawk.

Kakashi had his arms wrapped around the younger sensei's waist. Their noses were barely touching… The silver-haired man reached up and tugged his mask down, closing the distance between their lips—

"Look, the Ramen shack is on fire." Sasuke said monotonously, pointing randomly behind him.

"_WHAT_?!" Naruto squawked, spinning around with his eyes wide in horror. "Hey~! What the hell was that for, Sasuke-bastard? I don't see any smoke!" Naruto whined, looking hurt. The dark-haired boy merely shrugged, grabbing his rival's collar and dragging him away from the school.

More precisely, from Kakashi and Iruka.

"Where—"

"Let's get some Ramen."

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"Wa~! I'm stuffed!" Naruto sighed in content, clutching his bloated belly. He was grinning from ear to ear, looking down at his twelve empty bowls of Ramen. The corners of Sasuke's lips quirked into a ghost of a smile, but disappeared in an instant and was replaced with a smirk.

"I appreciate you paying for my fill, dobe." Sasuke cast Naruto a sidelong glance, drinking in the boy's expression.

"_LIKE HELL, SASUKE-BASTARD_!!!"

Sasuke laughed softly, pulling out a simple wallet from his pocket. He paid the waitress at the counter for his and Naruto's Ramen, then rose from his seat and began to walk away. The blond was completely speechless, dumbfounded by Sasuke's act of kindness. Naruto's cheeks reddened slightly.

"Thanks…" He murmured, getting up from his seat. He trotted to catch up, and finally fell in stride with Sasuke. The dark-haired boy turned his gaze to watch Naruto, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Did you say something?"

"What's it to you?"

"Whatever."

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The two walked in silence, keeping one another company merely with their presence. Neither of them really had anything to say, save for Naruto's threats of murdering Sasuke for letting Sakura fall, or for Sasuke demanding he is paid back for Naruto's gigantic fill of Ramen. However, neither boy voiced their thoughts. Eventually, they had found their way to their usual branch-off spot.

"I'm gonna' meet up with Konohamaru—" But before Naruto could walk off, Sasuke grabbed the blond's wrist.

"Naruto… I—" Sasuke really had no idea what to say. He hated being in positions like this, but… Naruto was his accomplice. No, he was his _friend_. "—I want you to know that I'm here for you, okay?" The dark-haired boy blurted, waiting for an outburst from Naruto. But his prediction was off. Way off.

"Th… thanks." Naruto managed to mumble, and without another word, the boy darted down the street at full speed.

"Don't cry, dobe." Sasuke whispered, watching the boy disappear into the oncoming night. 

----------------

Naruto lay sprawled, flat on his back on the roof, again. He gazed up at the stars, thinking of nothing in particular. The stars winked down at him, providing him with a sort of warmth. Tonight, he really could not bring himself to tears. Tonight had been oddly different from the others. He just did not feel so… So…

…Alone.

The words Sasuke had said had touched him a great deal. The bond between either boy seemed to have strengthened immensely with those simple words. 

"Naruto, I— I want you to know that I'm here for you, okay?" 

The blond smiled, feeling even warmer. Maybe he was not as alone as he thought he was… He had Iruka-sensei, and now Sasuke. He had no reason to cry tonight, and so the tears never fell. Gazing up at the stars, a soft, gentle mantra played over and over in his mind.

Maybe I'm not alone… 

A gentle breeze brushed against the boy's form on the roof, ruffling his hair slightly. Before Naruto had fallen asleep, he managed a soft mumble.

"Thanks, Sasuke."

**----------------------------------------------------------**

**Author's Notes: **Wau!! I'd like to thank all you reviewers. That was quite a surprise for me to have so many responses in a day's time. X3 And, because I love you all so much (so does my Muse… he loves you too!), I decided to write Chapter Two today. ^_^ I really like this fic so far. Extremely fluffy, ne ne!! Keep reviewing; it makes my Muse and me extremely happy!! :D

**Answers to Questions: **Heehee… If you left a question in the reviews, I'll reply to it here! Soooo….

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**Pudding: ***grins* That's too bad that you don't like Sasuke! XD I'm really happy you read the fic, though! Thanks!! :3

**Iceheart19: **Why is Naruto crying?? I can't just tell you that!! XD That would ruin part of the plot. Your questions will be answered in due time. ^_~ 

**Saori-Hime: **Too much yaoi? You can never have enough yaoi!! And yep… Gotta' love thems sexual innuendos. XD

**Devilishly.Sweet: **One shot? If I ever make a one shot, it'll prolly' be serious Kaka/Iru loving. XD;;;;


	3. Emptiness

Disclaimer #1: No, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it… Why? Because Kishimoto Masashi and his gang of manga-ka in black suits beat me at that damn poker match… XD Naw, I'm kidding. But the characters in this fic are (c) Kishimoto Masashi. 

Disclaimer #2: Hahaha, I think I'll just keep writing new disclaimers each time (because it's just SHOOOO fun!!) Mm'kay, well, this fic contains boy on boy action, y'know, all the good stuff. *winks suggestively* So if that's not your flavour of ice cream, then… um… go bugger off. XD;; Sasuke/Naruto, and Kakashi/Iruka!! :D

Brrrrrrt! Here's Chappie 3, bebbeh!

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The Things You Say

-Chapter three : the Emptiness-

Grinning in his trademark way, Naruto strutted through the halls of his busy school in a great mood. He had a great sleep, unlike ones from previous nights where his dreams were plagued with nightmares. Naruto held his chin high, rounding the corner and marching into class.

Just as he was about the greet Sakura, the pink-haired girl cut him off.

"Naruto, Iruka-sensei was just her, he's looking for you," Sakura said the moment Naruto walked in. She then made her way over to the chalkboard and began to erase graffiti students had left earlier. Naruto tilted his head to the side, eyeing Sakura for a moment. He was quite upset that Sakura had not confessed her undying love for him, but hey, nothing would dent his mood today!

"You're feeling better?" Naruto asked eagerly, trying to strike conversation. When Sakura ignored him, he pouted then spun around. Out the door he left, his grin back in place, strutting off down the hall. Turning another corner, Naruto brushed shoulders with a certain dark-haired boy. Both of them stopped, an uncomfortable silence settling around them.

"Hey."

"Hey."

The two eyed each other awkwardly, however, Sasuke was the first to speak.

"I was wondering if you… Wanted to meet at the cherry blossom trees. At noon."

Naruto could not help but gawk. He wondered why on earth Sasuke would want to meet him at some silly pink trees—More importantly, why Sasuke would want to ruin his lunch! At the same time though, he was quite curious; he'd never had company before.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Naruto said, smiling a little. They stared at each other for another moment or two, and then Naruto remembered he had to speak with Iruka. "Crap! I gotta' meet Iruka-sensei! Well, later," the blond grinned, then turned and started racing down the hallway, rushing to Iruka's office. Sasuke watched the boy disappear, and then smiled.

Naruto crossed his arms, giving his brown-haired sensei a measuring look. 

"You're being serious, right?"

Iruka arched a brow, and then smiled.

"Yes, Naruto. I'll treat you to however much ramen you want today," then, he added in an undertone, "Well, you usually take advantage of me and eat as much as you'd like anyway, so it doesn't really make a difference…"

Naruto snickered, elbowing his sensei in the side lightly. The blond gave Iruka the victory sign, and grinned. 

"So why the treat, Iruka-sensei? It's not like I've been being good, y'know," Naruto said, crossing his arms, still trying to find some sort of loophole in this. Extra studying? Cleaning his apartment? Taking more vitamins?

"We haven't been spending any time together as of late… I just want to know how you're doing," Iruka smiled warmly, reaching out and tousling the blond's spiky hair. Naruto blinked, but shrugged nonetheless. 

"Sounds good to me."

"Meet me at the north doors after classes, then. And please, Naruto…" Iruka said somewhat exasperatedly as the boy was about to leave. "Don't cause too much mischief today… I'm very- Ah – Busy…" Naruto eyed his sensei for a moment, noticing a blush flicker across the man's face, but dismissed it.

"Eh…? Whatever. See you then, and don't forget your wallet!"

Iruka sweat-dropped, then waved a short good bye to the boy as he disappeared out the door. He was about to get back to grading papers, when he had the distinct feeling he was being watched.

"Kakashi, you're no good at hiding from me in here; my office is tiny." He turned around, expecting to find the silver-haired man behind his desk, but there was nobody there. Iruka was about to question his judgment, but just as he was about to shake his head and think he was going crazy, arms snaked around his hips and pulled him into a warm body.

"No, you're not going crazy, koibito*." Murmured a smooth voice in Iruka's ear, reading his mind. Iruka had been surprised at first, but recognizing the voice, he merely leaned back and melted into the embrace.

"Hello, Kakashi…"

The long-awaited ringing of the bell made Naruto jump to his feet and race out the door.

"NARUTO! I said detention--"

"Too late, the bell rang!"

The teacher's eye twitched, but instead of racing after the mischievous blond, he merely sighed and dropped into his wooden chair, muttering something that sounded strangely like 'brat'.

Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets, feeling in a considerably good mood. His day was going wonderfully so far; Free dinner with Iruka, no detentions (so far), and even a companion for lunch. His spirits raised, he made his way to the door where it led to the cherry blossom trees. Suddenly, he heard Sakura's familiar voice, as well as others. Peeking inside a classroom, he found Sasuke standing at the center of his admirers, looking dull and bored as usual.

"Emiko said she saw you ask Naruto out for lunch!"

"Is it true? You guys have been a lot friendlier to each other…"

"Are you guys friends now or something?"

"Naruto's such a jerk! Why would you want to socialize with _him_?"

"Yeah, he's so rude, loud and obnoxious! So unlike you… You're perfect!"

"So _are_ you friends now? Come on! Tell us Sasuke-kun! Tell us, tell us!"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, but he stayed quiet and listened for Sasuke's response. He considered Sasuke his friend… Well, he was still his rival, and a bastard, of course. But recently, Sasuke had been all right. He wondered if the dark-haired boy felt the same way, and wondered if he would just brush the girls off coolly. Yeah, that is what he will do…

"Of course he isn't."

Naruto's heart stopped dead.

"We're not friends. We never were, never will be. I don't even consider him my rival."

Suddenly, the girls burst out into gales of laughter. They were all giggling and smiling, telling Sasuke what a great person he was. Abruptly, however, the door slid open, and all eyes fell on Naruto.

He did not speak.

"N-Naruto? Wait! Naruto!"

But the blond refused to listen to Sasuke. Hate welled up inside of him, and his entire body started to shake with the feeling of—

Betrayal. 

Whirling around on his heel, Naruto tore down the hallway, faster than ever before. He heard the girls laughing still, but eventually it all died down as he fled. His heart beating heavily in his chest… It felt like his insides had been filled to the brim with lead. Faster, and faster, Naruto would not stop. After quite some time, his lungs were screaming for air, but he ignored the need of oxygen. He had to get away from here; away from the pain, away from the humility and embarrassment…

But most of all, from Sasuke.

So, down the halls he raced, avoiding collisions as best he could. He bit down hard on his lower lip, refusing to cry. He hated crying. It was such a horrible frailty… Crying was for wimps, which he most certainly was not.* 

He seriously needed to relax, and pretend what Sasuke had just said never happened. Remembering he was supposed to meet Iruka, he sped towards the north door, hoping Iruka was there waiting for him…

No luck. The brown-haired sensei was nowhere in sight.

Turning to look over his shoulder, making sure that Sasuke had not followed him, he sighed then plopped down on the steps outside, and started to wait for Iruka to show up. The brown-haired sensei always knew how to make him smile… And surely a bowl or twelve of ramen would cheer him up and make him forget about Sasuke, even if it was just for a while. 

But what Sasuke had said had _hurt_. It felt like his heart had been hooked, then reeled right from his chest. He looked down at the ground, eyes following a little ant trying to drag a leaf all by itself. He wondered if Sasuke had meant what he had told him earlier… 

_"Naruto, I— I want you to know that I'm here for you, okay?"_

No. Sasuke had obviously not meant what he had said. Nevertheless, why should Naruto have even believed the dark-haired boy in the first place? They were rivals.

No, not even rivals. Not anymore.

So what was their relationship? If it was not friends or rivals, then what could it be? Perhaps Sasuke saw him as a threat; perhaps Sasuke saw him as an enemy. Naruto sighed deeply, then leaned back and rested his elbows on the steps behind him. However, he was suddenly aware of the on-coming darkness, and he immediately snapped out of his thoughts.

Why was he here again?

Iruka…

He must have forgotten. Naruto bit his lower lip, brows furrowed, clearly hurt. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about him… He _was_ the Fox Demon, after all. Nobody needed him. Nobody cared. Why did he bother staying in the Konohoa village, anyway?

…Because he was going to prove everyone wrong. He was going to show everyone that he was not just some foul demon, and that he was an actual human being with feelings. He would become Hokage, no matter what got in his way…

And if Sasuke were a mere obstacle, he would surpass it. He would never look back, and never have regrets.

He did not need Sasuke, nor did he need Iruka. From now on, he was on his own again. From now on, he would do everything by himself…

Just as he had always done.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupidstupidstupid."

Sasuke was sitting cross-legged in the Uchiha Mansion, all by himself in the gigantic kitchen. He was glaring at the teacup, sitting on the little oak table steaming in front of him. As he cursed none-too-creatively, he was not, for once, insulting Naruto.

He was insulting himself.

What the _hell_ had he been thinking earlier today? All he wanted was to get rid of the girls so that he could enjoy a peaceful afternoon meal with Naruto. He wanted nothing more; nothing like breaking Naruto when he and the blond had just warmed up to each other.

When Sasuke thought back to his cruel words, he mentally kicked himself. They had just rolled off his tongue, albeit forcibly. Apparently someone had seen himself and the blond talking, and somehow that was warped by the wonderful game of 'telephone'.

They all thought Naruto and he were friends. Or were friends.

"Damn it…"

A cool breeze tickled Naruto's neck as he leaned against one of the dark-barked cherry blossom trees. Several petals fluttered by, carried by the wind, then drifted slowly to the ground. The blond sighed, and then rested his head against the tree.

"Why the hell am I even here?"

This question seemed to have picked at Naruto for the past several hours. Judging by the colour of the sky, it was probably only about six-thirty or so. So he had been sitting there since about four o'clock… And neither of the people he had arranged to see today had made an appearance. Shaking his head, the blond inhaled, held his breath for a moment, and then breathed out. Tomorrow, he would ignore Sasuke, as well as Iruka. However, this would be no childish silent treatment…

It would be for—Well, Naruto had not quite thought that far ahead. But it would be for a long time, damn it! 

_"Why are you here, dobe?"_

Naruto glared at his feet. He should leave. Go back home. Get some sleep. But he just did not feel like it… The cherry blossom trees seemed to have a magnetic effect on him, just as Sasuke's eyes—

_What?!_

There must be something funky in the air. Naruto did _not_ just think what he thought he had thought! Suddenly, the blond became very confused. He sighed, then got to his feet and began dragging himself away from the trees. The school eventually shrank behind him as he walked down the empty street, looking up at the moon. 

Twenty minutes later, Naruto was lying sprawled out in his bed, wondering what to do tomorrow. Ignore Sasuke, or toss in several snide remarks whenever he see fit?

He preferred the latter.

But for now, he needed sleep.

And as his eyelids closed, his head was filled with images of the villagers with their backs turned to him, and all the people he thought were his friends walking away from him.

Then, the nightmares ensued.

**Author's Notes: **Dayum, this certainly took a while. I hope you guys didn't forget about me. XD;;; But anyways, I think I'll make the next chapter a little longer. As the story's plot widens, so with the amount of text. :3; Anyways, I'd give you a mini-teaser…. But that would be too nice! *cackles* Later guys!

**Answers to Questions: **Heehee… If you left a question in the reviews, I'll reply to it here! Soooo….

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**Jiro: ***giggles* No, this is in time with the Anime/Manga. XD

**DarkFlamesofSolitude: **I'm so glad you think this. XD I don't see either Sasuke _or_ Naruto as feminine. They just totally don't strike me as that.  

**Ame no Megami: ***snickers* Yes, I never liked her either. :3

**SoulwithWings: **Hey Becky. XD I'll see you at school tomorrow, you gangsta'!!

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_Dobe…_= Idiot, moron… I think the same as Baka.

_Koibito_…= Lover, sweetheart.

_Crying was for wimps…=_ Naruto wasn't aware he was crying, because he was sleeping when doing so. ^^;


	4. Touch

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, Sasuke, or any of the characters in this Fanfic. All characters (unless otherwise stated) are copyrighted to Kishimoto Masashi.

**Warning:** This Fanfic contains boy's love, also known as shounen-ai, homosexuality, slash, etcetera, etcetera. However, I will not write anything hardcore, because well… I'm young and shouldn't write anything hardcore. XD;; So anyways, if you still want to read, then go ahead. Please leave comments and criticism; I love to hear from the readers!

**Author Says:** Durr, author says she apologizes for completely ignoring the reviewers and this Fanfic for the past… what is it… year? There really isn't much of an excuse, I'm sorry to say, but I do promise to try harder to bring to you more of this Fic! I also hope my writing has improved, so that I can bring you better quality works!

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka (for those of you who don't know me personally, I'll tell you now that I hate practically every girl in Anime. _Especially_ Sakura. So yes, expect Sakura bashing. )

----------------------------------------------------------

**The Things You Say**

-Chapter four: the Touch-

"…"

Sasuke stood beneath the doorframe, a cloud of chalk slowly clearing away. His once-black hair was now literally chalk-white, as well as his face, and shoulders. He said nothing as he clenched and unclenched his jaw, glaring over at Naruto.

"I'm guessing that was not meant for Kakashi." He managed to say calmly, keeping his anger in check.

"You guessed right, asshole." Naruto said coldly, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke. The now white-haired boy flinched inwardly at Naruto's expression. It was so… uncharacteristic of him.

"Naruto—"

"Go to Hell, you bastard." The blond huffed, and turned away from his former rival. He glared out the window at a nearby tree, as though it was the tree's fault all this had happened. If the tree had been able to run, it most likely would have fled for its life. Naruto looked mighty threatening.

"…"

"I don't socialize with back-stabbers anymore."

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but clamped it shut. He totally deserved that.

Naruto turned again to glare at Sasuke. He then stalked over to the teacher's desk, where an orange bucket sat. Picking it up, he walked over to the door, opened it slightly, and then stood on his tiptoes to fix the bucket atop the door. Sasuke looked surprised, but instead of saying anything he walked over to a desk and sat on it, busying himself with trying to remove the chalk from his hair.

A minute or so after Naruto finished setting his trap, the door swung open and the bucket fell. Kakashi jumped back, having somehow foreseen this; Iruka, however, was not so fortunate.

The bucket clambered to the floor; it had done its job well. Iruka's head and shoulders were now thoroughly white, and he looked quite confused. Kakashi chuckled, and then entered the classroom.

"Naruto what's—"

"You know what's wrong." Naruto snapped, and Iruka flinched. He tried to get closer to the blond, but instead, the blond backed away.

"I'm sorry—"

Naruto was about to snap again, when suddenly Sakura entered the room. She smiled and was about to say hello, when she noticed Iruka and Sasuke had both received the same treatment. She had no idea what the reason was… But Naruto was bound to be behind it.

"Naruto—"

"'Sorry' isn't gonna' cut it anymore!" Naruto bristled, glaring daggers at Iruka, who had just spoken. The silver-haired man (Kakashi) figured it best to remain silent, and to stay out of this; he could always ask Iruka about it later. Sakura looked about ready to yell at the blond, but before she could get a word in, Naruto stormed out the door. He grabbed the doorknob and slammed the door hard, and, his rage causing him to forget, he did not let go. The door swung back open with the force, and a confused Naruto stood with a doorknob in hand.

And without thinking, he growled and whipped the doorknob back into the classroom. Kakashi sidestepped the Mach 10 doorknob…

But Sakura was not so fortunate.

**----------------------------------------------------------**

_One… two… three… four… Damn it!_

Naruto gritted his teeth, then chucked another flat stone into the water.

_One… two… three… four… UGH!! I HATE YOU!_

For the past several hours, Naruto had been skipping stones to try and relax. However, he only seemed to be getting more and more upset, as he could not beat his record of four skips.

Plopping down onto the riverside, the blond sighed and began picking at the grass around him. This morning had gone exactly as planned, and at first he had felt good—

But now he felt like crap.

He no longer had anyone to talk to, no longer had anyone to rely on, no longer had anyone to waste time with… He no longer had anyone. The look on Iruka's face had been utmost hurt, and Sasuke had just looked annoyed. But when he looked back on the moment, Sasuke had also looked slightly hurt, too.

But why?

Why the hell should _they _feel hurt when it was _them_ who hurt _him_?! Naruto had not done anything wrong! He had only given them a taste of what they deserved. He did not feel any regrets… why should he? He hated Sasuke and Iruka! Loathed! Despised! Reviled! Detested!

…Missed.

No, Naruto would not give in that easily. He did not even want to give in at all. Or did he? Never. He had to stop contradicting himself, because he was seriously getting confused. For now, however, he had to push a little of his hatred away to clear his mind. He had some plans that needed to be put in action.

Round two; break Sasuke.

**----------------------------------------------------------**

"Naruto?"

The blond looked up at Sasuke and smiled, his usual toothy grin.

"What's up?"

"I'll ask you the same thing."

There was an uncomfortable silence where Naruto merely stared, but finally it was broken.

"Well you're obviously not busy, so let's go hang out." Naruto nodded, turning to leave, expecting Sasuke to follow along.

"No. Answer me, first."

"Uh…" Naruto turned around to look back at Sasuke questioningly. "I'm hungry, that's what. Now grab your money and let's go buy me some Ramen!" Sasuke was about to decline, then he remembered this morning's events, and he glared at Naruto suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Because people eat to live, Sasuke!!" Naruto said, grinning widely. Sasuke arched a brow, but instead of protesting further, he decided the least Naruto deserved was a cup or twelve of Ramen.

"Fine. I'll get my wallet." Sasuke said nonchalantly, disappearing into the Uchiha Mansion, then returning several moments later.

"Let's go!" Naruto grinned, then started off towards the village.

"…Something's not right…" Sasuke murmured to himself, following the blond nevertheless.

**----------------------------------------------------------**

Sasuke, hands in pockets, was feeling quite uneasy. He shifted his gaze over to Naruto, giving him a suspicious look, then quickly looked ahead just as the blond turned to him. Something was not right. Naruto had hated him just that morning, and now he was acting completely opposite… and then some! Not only had Naruto asked him to hang out, but he also seemed completely oblivious to the events of this morning. Sasuke was suspicious, and he would get to the bottom of this no matter what.

"Sasuke?"

The black-haired boy looked up. He saw that Naruto had already taken a seat at the shabby Ramen shack, so he followed suit and sat on the stool next to the blond. They ordered their Ramen, then began the silent wait, until…

"It's a great night, eh?"

Small talk? From _Naruto_?

"Y'know, if you look up, you might be able to find the Libra sign-thingy in the stars." With that, the blond looked up at the night sky, eyes moving all around in search of the Libra constellation. The little curtain that was often up shielding the customers from bad weather disappeared during the clear evenings.

"You like constellations?"

Naruto blinked, then looked back at Sasuke. He was unsure of how to respond, so he merely nodded.

"Yeah, I watch them all the time… I even make up my own. It's like when I watch clouds with Shikamaru." Naruto explained, looking back up at the ink-black sky. There was an endless amount of stars shimmering and winking down at the two boys, strewn across the sky as though someone had taken a paintbrush and spattered white paint out on a black canvas. Sasuke looked up as well, browsing for Libra.

"You don't strike me as the type to like constellations…" Sasuke mused out loud, spotting the constellation after a moment or so of searching. "What constellations have you made up?"

"Oh." Naruto had not expected that question. He would have expected 'that's stupid' or something along those lines. Nevertheless, he was about to respond when the spicy scent of Ramen filled his nose. "Woo! It's here! _Itadakimasu_!"

**----------------------------------------------------------**

By the time the two of them had left the Ramen shack, it was well after ten o'clock. They had not gone directly home; instead, they had wandered about the village, talking about nothing in particular. Well, it was more of a one-sided conversation… Naruto rambled on, while Sasuke listened and occasionally nodded and mumbled something in response.

Not really noticing, they found themselves wandering into the cherry blossom garden. The trees were a dark pink, but seemed to glow slightly in places where the moonlight shone upon the petals. It was a beautiful sight, indeed.

The two boys sat down, then Naruto collapsed and sprawled out. He folded his arms behind his head, whereas Sasuke merely sat with an arm lazily draped over an upraised knee. They were both looking up at the sky once more, staring at all the stars without a care in the world. Sasuke suddenly spoke up and broke the silence.

"You never answered my question," the dark-haired boy said, looking down at Naruto with an indifferent look, as though he could not care less about what the blond had to say.

As usual.

"Huh? Oh, my constellations or whatever…" Naruto thought for a moment, and then shifted a little so that he was sitting up with his legs sprawled before him. "…If you look right there, those nine stars look a little like a fox head." As he spoke, he pointed over to a large constellation that resembled more of a blob than a fox head.

"Not really." Sasuke said, as he connected the stars and found that it looked nothing like a fox head.

"Aw, come on!" Naruto started to whine, looking back at Sasuke with somewhat of a pout. "Use some imagination, unless you're too stupid to connect some dots."

Sasuke looked back at Naruto, and cracked a smile.

"I'm not the one claiming a blob looks like a fox head." Sasuke smirked, as though challenging the blond, but Naruto, surprisingly, did not take the bait. He looked down at his toes and smiled slightly.

The two remained silent for what seemed ages. Sasuke was replaying their night over and over in his head like a mantra. He hated to admit, but he had actually had _some_ fun. They had not fought once, and Naruto had some vaguely interesting things to say. From the corner of his eye, he could see Naruto looking up at the sky again.

He looked…

Cute?

Sasuke looked at his upraised knees. The night began to replay in his mind, and he felt so comfortable all of a sudden. He was always alone, but Naruto always seemed to have this strange aura about him… It made him feel reassured, maybe.

_Just like two hands fit together, eh? _Sasuke thought sarcastically. No, Naruto was Naruto. He had a more-or-less amicable personality. But Sasuke had never felt like this. Not around Kakashi, or Sakura, or anyone-- anyone but Naruto, at least. He sighed softly, closing his eyes and tried to clear his mind of the blond boy.

But he could not.

He turned to look at Naruto, who looked back at him with curious, blue eyes. The blond turned his head, an uncertain look upon his face. Without thinking, Sasuke reached out and gently touched Naruto's cheek with the back of his hand. The boy blushed; his eyes widening slightly, but made no attempts to move away. Sasuke had no idea what he was doing, really… He had just sort of… Done it.

The two boys seemed to be frozen, and both of them were a deep shade of red.

"Sa—Sasuke?" Naruto managed to stutter out, swallowing audibly.

"…" The dark-haired boy could not bring himself to saying anything. He suddenly began panicking, and was about to pull his hand away when it was stopped, held in place by—

Naruto's own hand.

"Did you mean it?"

Sasuke gave Naruto a questioning look, but quickly remembered…

"I want you to know that I'm here for you, okay?" 

Sasuke smiled, but only very slightly.

"…Yeah."

Naruto looked down, his brow creased in thought. Was Sasuke just playing him? The blond cast a quick glance in Sasuke's direction, trying to read the other's expression. It was not working…

But since when could Naruto read expressions, anyways? He was the naïve one, after all…

_Don't forget your plan, Naruto!_ He growled to himself mentally, biting his lower lip. He was about to clench his hands into fists, when he remembered that one hand was already occupied.

…

"I… I have to go." Naruto finally blurted, his blush so intense… He was glad it was dark. His hand dropped to his side, and Sasuke's was pulled away so fast, it was hard to believe it had even been touching Naruto's cheek a second ago. Naruto turned to run off, and had almost made his way out of the cherry blossom park…

"W-wait! Naruto!"

The blond, now in the moonlight, frozen to the spot, would not will himself to turn around for fear of Sasuke seeing his face.

"W-what for?" He replied unsteadily, mentally cursing himself for allowing his nervousness to slip.

_Yeah, Uchiha, what for?_ Sasuke frowned, watching as the boy stopped. He wondered why the hell he had just spoken… But now that it had been done, he wondered what to say.

"Forget about it."

Naruto finally turned, but he was too late. He only caught a glimpse of Sasuke's fleeting back before the boy had disappeared into the shadows.

"What just happened?" Naruto asked himself, turning to walk home.

**----------------------------------------------------------**

**Author's Notes: **Well, that concludes Chapter Four of this ongoing Fanfic! I'd love to hear your reviews, and you can, of course, flame my lazy-ass for being away so long and leaving you hanging! For the next chapter, I'll probably add some fluffy Kakashi/Iruka stuff. And what's this? Sasuke made a (small) move on Naruto? Heehee, let's see what happens next!!

Thanks to everyone who sent me e-mails! I appreciate you guys standing by me all the way!! hugs


	5. Thoughts

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, Sasuke, or any of the characters in this Fanfic. All characters (unless otherwise stated) are copyrighted to Kishimoto Masashi.

**Warning:** This Fanfic contains boy's love, also known as shounen-ai, homosexuality, slash, etcetera, etcetera. However, I will not write anything hardcore, because well… I'm young and shouldn't write anything hardcore. XD;; So anyways, if you still want to read, then go ahead. Please leave comments and criticism; I love to hear from the readers!

**Author Says:** Hey hey! I'm so happy I still have readers! Thanks all for your reviews! I was so excited to read them… And as requested, as well as promised, I'll be adding more Kakashi/Iruka love, so get ready!

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka (for those of you who don't know me personally, I'll tell you now that I hate practically every girl in Anime. _Especially_ Sakura. So yes, expect Sakura bashing. …Haha, Mach 10 doorknob… XD)

----------------------------------------------------------

**The Things You Say**

-Chapter five: the Thoughts-

The undeniably annoying sound of an alarm clock sounded that morning at around six-thirty. There was a slow rustling of sheets, a groan, then a yawn; each from a different person.

"Iruka, go back to bed… It's Saturday."

"Nn… _Kakashi_!"

"Come on, Iruka…"

"But Naruto—"

"I'll talk to him later. Come here"

"Kakashi!!"

There were sounds of rustling sheets, giggling, and the shifting of bodies. Finally, the two bedmates were comfortable, and the silver-haired one let out a sigh of contentment.

"I could get used to this," he said, lazily stroking Iruka's soft, brown hair. It was hard to make out the murmured response, although it seemed positive enough. Kakashi chuckled, gently pulling his lover closer.

"Kakashi… I really should be getting up. I have so many papers to grade," Iruka protested, looking up to give the silver-haired man a most adorable pout.

"Hmm," Kakashi considered this for a moment, although the moment seemed to drag on for minutes. Iruka blinked as he saw his lover's eyelids droop shut, and he could only smile. As he tried to wiggle loose of Kakashi's grip, he found it completely useless. Even in his sleep, the silver-haired man maintained his strength. With a sigh of defeat, Iruka turned his head to rest his cheek on Kakashi's chest, feeling himself doze off with each rise and fall of breath. He suddenly remembered yesterday, and what had happened with Naruto.

No, he couldn't sleep with _that_ memory on his shoulders. He peered over at Kakashi's slightly ajar window, and noticed the winds picking up.

"Rain…" He murmured to himself, hoping Naruto was safe in his apartment. Iruka sighed, but felt a warm hand glide down his back.

"Don't worry about it, Iruka… I promise to talk to him later. It is my fault, after all."

Iruka turned his head to look up at his lover, whose mismatched eyes were watching him calmly. The brown-haired man looked down, feeling guilty anyways.

"So rest up… Round three will start once I wake up again." He smirked as Iruka didn't respond at first, not quite following. Kakashi had to close his eyes so that he could resist his lover's innocent expression.

"I love you, Iruka."

"I love you, too, Kakashi…"

**----------------------------------------------------------**

Sasuke was already sweating by the time his internal clock told him that it was six-thirty. The sun began filtering in between the leaves in the trees overhead, dappling light onto Sasuke and the grass beneath him. Taking a deep intake of breath, the dark-haired boy slid down a birch tree, exhaling and closing his eyes. He welcomed the sounds of birds chirping and wind rustling the trees to fill his ears, and his senses.

It was time to think.

Running a hand through his damp bangs, He rested his elbow on one of his upraised knees. With that hand covering one eye, he added slight pressure to sooth the ache in his head.

"What have I gotten myself into…?" He sighed, opening his eyes and letting his arm fall and rest limply across his stomach. As though waiting for an answer to blow to him in the wind, the boy was silent and motionless, save for the rise and fall of his chest. He began to think about Naruto; what he was doing, if he had gotten home safely, if he was happy—

_What_?!

Frowning, Sasuke quickly shooed those unwelcome thoughts from his mind, although a voice perked up, asking 'why?'

In all honesty, Sasuke didn't know why… about anything. Why he had agreed to take Naruto out that night, why he had touched Naruto's cheek in a stupid, romantic way… But was it really stupid? At the time, Sasuke had been surprised with himself. But what he had really been surprised with was how Naruto had sort of returned the gesture, by resting his hand on his.

Did that mean Naruto liked him back?

Wait… since when was '_like_' even involved? Sasuke bit his lower lip, annoyed with all the contradictions forming inside his head. He hated asking himself 'why', because he just never knew the answer. He preferred burying the questions, and to just move on. The problem now was, he couldn't bring himself to move on from Naruto.

Naruto was Naruto. He had that magnetic personality of his that kept Sasuke returning to Team 7's meeting spots everyday. He had that smile that could erase all memories of pain in Sasuke's mind, and at times, the dark-haired boy even wanted to smile back.

But he couldn't. That's the way it was. He and Naruto were supposed to be rivals, and were supposed to hate each other. They all expected them to be different, they all expected them to break out into fights, and they all expected them to _hate each other_.

Sasuke snorted. He sounded like a schoolgirl thinking about her crush.

For moments, all that the boy allowed himself to think about was the wind blowing through the trees, sending leaves swirling all about. Just as he began drifting off, something wet hit his nose. Blinking in surprise, he looked up and saw that the sky had turned an ominous shade of gray. _Wasn't it just sunny a minute ago? _Sasuke frowned as several other raindrops fell from the sky, and the more the boy sat there, the harder it rained. Finally, the dark-haired boy got to his feet and decided that he had had enough training for that day, anyway. Besides, he really wasn't prepared to miss the next day of training to a common cold.

Sprinting through the forest, winding in and out of trees, Sasuke rushed back to the village. He figured that being late for that day's meeting wouldn't be too important. Besides, he was usually there earliest anyways. Speeding up slightly, the boy rushed to the Uchiha Mansion.

It had only taken around ten minutes to arrive at his house, yet during that time, the rain seemed to have gained power. Outside, Sasuke was barely able to see five feet in front of him. The streets began flooding, and as the boy ran, he was sure he had only passed two people.

Stepping into the warm mansion, Sasuke sighed in relief. As he made his way to his room, the boy began peeling the soaking wet clothes from his cold body. Once in his room, he made a beeline to his closet to pull out a high-collared black shirt, a pair of white shorts, and a clean pair of boxers. Sasuke changed quickly, then examined himself in the mirror and fixed his hair a little. Content with his reflection, the boy left his room and started for the kitchen.

"…Might as well bring an umbrella," he said to himself, extracting a simple black umbrella from the kitchen's closet. As he left the house, he popped open the umbrella then held it over his head.

"What a miserable day."

----------------------------------------------------------

"Nn… Sleep…"

Blue eyes blinked open, searching the blurry room for the time. Reaching up, the blond rubbed at his tired eyes, yawning and glancing over at his clock.

Seven o'clock.

Naruto glared, remembering suddenly that it was a Saturday, and that he had every right in the world to simply roll over and fall back asleep. And, he had every intention of doing so… Well, after he went to the bathroom.

Upon 'relieving' himself, Naruto crawled back into bed. He squirmed for a few moments, trying to find his comfortable spot once again. After being still for five minutes, the blond began to doubt that he'd be able to fall asleep again. And so, he decided to think a little. Starting with…

"What the hell happened yesterday." It was a statement, the beginning of Naruto's monologue, because the boy was far too drowsy to answer any of his absurd Saturday-morning questions. And so, he simply decided to vent to the pillow beside him, as though it had been the cause of all the madness going on in Naruto's life.

"So much for my plan…" He frowned, pulling his blankets up to his nose. He began mumbling to himself, closing his eyes and starting to doze off.

"Woah, wait a sec…" Naruto's eyes shot open, and he sat up quickly. His plan _had_ been a success! Sasuke _did_ like him now, that's what the hell happened yesterday! Now all he had to do was completely crush that bastard—

"Well, I guess calling him a bastard would be a little harsh…" Naruto reasoned with himself, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. True, Naruto _did_ want to avenge himself for what Sasuke had done to him, but perhaps the best thing would be to just let it go.

"Ugh, but I can't!! He caused me so much… pain or whatever," the blond mumbled, trying not to sound too dramatic, but after a moment's thought, he shook his head and agreed he was being far too feminine about this. Well, feminine in the way that he was making far too big of a deal over it.

"No, I have all the right to be pissed off at that bastard!! He took our friendship and—and—chewed it up, spat it out, and—pissed on it!!" Naruto argued with, well, himself. Crossing his arms, he fell back into bed, really not feeling up to leaving his quaint apartment that day. He glared out the window, and finally noticed the downpour.

"Hah, another reason to stay indoors!" _And another excuse not to confront Sasuke about all this…_

Sighing, the blond continued to battle with his inner self until a sudden knock at the door startled him out of it.

"Uhh… who is it?" Naruto blinked, not knowing whom to expect. The doorknob turned, and slowly creaked open.

"Naruto, we need to talk."

----------------------------------------------------------

"Unnngh… My head is killing me, Ino…"

"Aww, Sakura! I can't believe that idiot did that to you. What did you say he did again?"

"He… he threw a doorknob at me!!"

Ino bit down on her tongue, obviously fighting hard to keep from laughing out loud. The pink-haired girl lying on the bed before her gave her the Deathglare, her eyes practically aflame with rage.

"It's not funny, Ino!! I thought I was going to _die_!" Sakura persisted, pointing to the large bandage wrapped around her head that covered her eye. Ino wagged her hand dismissively, as though the thought of finding a matter as _serious_ as this were funny.

"So, when will you be getting out of the hospital?" Ino asked, slightly changing topics. Sakura frowned, reaching up to touch her eye in a thoughtful way.

"The doctor said I could be released today, but… It's raining outside, and I'm afraid the bandages will get wet…" She said, casually looking up with her visible eye. The girl opposite Sakura snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Don't lie to me, Sakura. You're trying to avoid Sasuke-kun so that he doesn't see your eye. That, and you also don't want your hair getting wet so that you'll look like a wet dog on a rainy day." Ino had to admit, she did sympathize for her friend's injury, but this was also a chance for her to get closer to the dark-haired boy. (Right.)

"INO! Th-that's not true!" Sakura frowned, giving her friend a look of utmost hurt. Ino sighed and shook her head.

"Okay, I'm sorry. But just take the bandages off, Sakura. Your eye can't look _that_ bad." Ino instructed, rising from the bedside stool and walking over to the door to retrieve her umbrella. As she turned, Sakura had finished unraveling the bandages around her head, and gave Ino a weak smile. Ino's eyes were practically bugging out of her head.

"U-uh, maybe you should keep them on…"

"INO!!"

----------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Notes: **Hiya kiddies! How did you like _that_ chapter? XD I know, I know… I wasn't too fond of it… There are a couple of things though that needed to be written. Like, the fluffy Kakashi/Iruka stuff, Sasuke getting wet (perhaps he should have worn a white t-shirt instead of a black one? Oh, but his shorts are white…), Naruto having a crazy argument with himself, and of course, some mild Sakura bashing! But it wasn't ME bashing her!! It was _Ino_!! laughs

**PS: **I know it was horrible to leave you guys hanging with the who's-in-Naruto's-bedroom-DAMMIT thing, but what can I say… this is my first Fanfic, and I'd simply _adore_ to read your comments on who you would want it to be in Naruto's room. XDD! Heehee, we'll see what happens. Reviews _might _be able to change my mind… whistles innocently So, until next chapter!!


	6. Emotion

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, Sasuke, or any of the characters in this Fanfic. All characters (unless otherwise stated) are copyrighted to Kishimoto Masashi.

**Warning: **This Fanfic contains boy's love, also known as shounen-ai, homosexuality, slash, etcetera, etcetera. However, I will not write anything hardcore, because well… I'm young and shouldn't write anything hardcore. XD;; So anyways, if you still want to read, then go ahead. Please leave comments and criticism; I love to hear from the readers!

**Author Says:** Haha, thanks for the reviews. XD I was really amused… Will it be Sasuke or Kakashi paying a visit to Naruto? AHHAH! Joke's on you. It's OROCHIMARU!!

…Okay, no, it's not. Anyways, read on to find out who it is. (Sorry my sense of humour is so bad… XD)

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka (for those of you who don't know me personally, I'll tell you now that I hate practically every girl in Anime. _Especially_ Sakura. So yes, expect Sakura bashing. )

----------------------------------------------------------

**The Things You Say**

-Chapter six: the Emotion-

The blond sat up as the figure entered the room. Eyes widening slightly, Naruto huffed then crossed his arms, glaring at the silver-haired man before him.

"You woke me up!" He whined, trying to feign a tired look. Kakashi blinked, not buying it.

"Ah, so you were sleep-talking instead of being _awake_ and arguing with yourself?" He smirked, although it was hard to tell from the ever-present mask covering the majority of his face. Naruto stumbled on that, trying to think of some sort of witty retort. He didn't have time, thankfully, because Kakashi began talking again.

"I came to explain a couple of things to you, Naruto," the silver-haired man said, taking a seat on the end of Naruto's bed. The boy blinked, wondering what he could explain. He wasn't mad at Kakashi…

"You should be mad at me, not Iruka," Kakashi began, looking over at Naruto. The boy shifted a little, a look of curiosity on his face. Sighing, Kakashi continued.

"When Iruka was supposed to take you out for Ramen, I distracted him—"

"You didn't try to shove all your work onto Iruka, did you?!" Naruto glared, knowing that that was the most logical thing. Kakashi was lazy, and _everyone_ knew he hated paperwork.

"No," Kakashi explained, "although I did make him do _some_ work for me." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the odd glint in Kakashi's visible eye, not catching on. Thinking nothing of it, he continued.

"Naruto, have you had 'the talk'?"

The blond narrowed his eyes further.

"…'The talk?'" Naruto pressed, leaning forward slightly.

"The 'when a man loves a woman' talk?"

"Uhhh… no. Why?"

"Surprising. I'd have thought Iruka would have told you about it—"

"TELL ME!!"

"Hmm…" Kakashi stayed quiet, enjoying Naruto's distress. The boy seriously had no clue. Perhaps Kakashi could have a little fun with this… He thought for a moment, leaving Naruto to drown in suspense. Suddenly, Kakashi thought back to what Naruto had been arguing with himself about. He had been fussing over Sasuke… Arching a brow, Kakashi dropped 'the talk' for the time being, figuring that Iruka was now forgiven, and that the blame was now on him. (Naruto was too curious about 'the talk' to pay attention to that matter anyways… well, for the time being.)

"What do you think about Sasuke?"

Naruto blinked, sitting back. That was… random. He thought hard about the question, whether or not he could confide in this man about his true feelings… that he might actually _like_ the dark-haired boy. No, definitely not, it was out of the question! He was trying to put up an act that made it _appear_ that he was pissed off at both Iruka and Sasuke… But wait; wasn't the new plan supposed to be that Naruto was trying to get _closer_ to Sasuke?? _Aw man! Why is this so… complicated?!_

"Well?"

Again, Naruto was quiet, completely stumped on that question. He wasn't sure how to respond, because either way he had to give some sort of explanation. And either way, Kakashi was going to ask for more, and Naruto hadn't thought that far ahead yet!

"H-he's… okay." The blond said cautiously, pulling his knees to his chest under the covers and wrapping his arms around them. Avoiding any eye contact with Kakashi, he continued. "I don't _mind_ him."

"Huh, is that so."

Naruto mentally fumed. Why did Kakashi make Naruto want to tell him everything? And why did Kakashi sound like he knew exactly what was going on in his head? Hell, _Naruto_ didn't even know what was going on in his head! This was madness, absolute madness! He wished he could take it all back, he wished he could rewind and start from the start.

"_Naruto, I— I want you to know that I'm here for you, okay?"_

…

"_We're not friends. We never were, never will be. I don't even consider him my rival."_

"I—I don't _know_!!"

Kakashi looked up at the sudden outburst. Surprised, he merely sat back and watched Naruto reach up to hide his face in his hands.

"I thought he was my friend, but then he turned around and pissed all over that!!" Naruto said, trying hard to fight back all of this melancholy welling up inside of him. He was so damn _confused_! He wished that a little Sakura could appear in his head and give him a descriptive explanation of what the hell was going on. Naruto continued to hide in his hands, and continued to pour himself out to Kakashi, without even knowing why.

"I just want _someone_! But I can't even have _that much_. I-I thought I had Iruka, but then he _ditched_ me for whatever the hell reasons. Damn it, I don't even _care_ why. Nobody's _ever_ gonna' be here for me…"

A long silence fell over both ninjas, neither making even a sound. Naruto tried his hardest to keep his tears away, and Kakashi simply sat there, digesting all this information. In all honesty, it wasn't anything he hadn't already expected to hear. He knew that there was something going on between the two; otherwise, Sasuke wouldn't have had a bucketful of chalk on his head the other day. Kakashi sighed.

"…I'm selfish." Naruto said miserably, and Kakashi could feel the boy's inner turmoil practically leaking off of him.

"No, you're human." Kakashi finally spoke in that calm voice of his, then stood up and walked over to Naruto's side. "You two have a difficult relationship, and a long road ahead. I guess it's a good thing you're both strong." With that, he reached down and tousled Naruto's spiky hair.

The blond looked up as he felt the hand disappear. He saw Kakashi walk over to the door, about to leave.

"H-hey, Kakashi…" Naruto called. Kakashi stopped, then turned to give the boy a mildly curious look.

"…What did you want to tell me about Iruka? What was the distraction?"

The silver-haired man closed his eyes, and Naruto could feel the smile rather than see it.

"I'll leave 'when a man meets a man' talk to Iruka," he said, slipping out the door.

"H-hey!! Waitasec!! Wasn't it 'when a man meets a woman' talk??"

----------------------------------------------------------

Sasuke stood at the bridge where Team 7 usually met on weekends. Sighing, the boy glared at the ground to show his irritation from being out in the rain... especially on a Saturday. Despite the umbrella over his head that protected him from the rain, he was still cold. Sasuke had been waiting for a while, and began to wonder whether his teammates were even going to show up. Just as he turned to leave, he heard a familiar voice. Cringing, he reluctantly stood still.

"Sasuke-kuuuuun!! Look, I'm out of the hospital!"

_Oh joy._

"How are you, Sasuke-kun? I hope you haven't been waiting long!" The pink-haired girl said breathlessly, bending over slightly to catch her breath. She looked absolutely soaked, although she did have an umbrella. Sasuke turned, then immediately arched a brow not only at this, but that her knees were rather red and scraped, and the she was wearing large, conspicuous sunglasses.

"…"

When Sakura had finally caught her breath, she smiled nervously then rubbed the back of her head.

"Um, the doctor said that my eye was sensitive, and that I had to wear these to protect me from the sun…"

"Is that so," Sasuke said, bored and uninterested. Just as he was about to turn right around and leave the girl alone in the rain, he felt a large hand clap down on his shoulder.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said in surprise, having not seen the man coming. Sasuke cursed his senses for not having picked his presence up, either.

"Sorry I'm late," Kakashi began, and both of his students already knew what was coming. "But there was a cat trying to cross a river and—"

Silence.

Kakashi had even stopped right when he figured he was going to be interrupted. Frowning, he remembered that Naruto wasn't there to scold him, and in all honesty, the fun died out if Sakura was the one who called him a liar.

"—Anyway, I figured we could take advantage of the weather and work on some water jutsu." Kakashi said, breaking the awkward silence. Sasuke looked unimpressed, finding that it would be dull without Naruto there to compete with.

"A-ah, Kakashi-sensei… It's raining really hard. Don't you think we could do something a little more low-key? Like, _we_ could go work on theory at my house and you could—"

"Out of the question," Kakashi interrupted, folding his arms over his chest. Sasuke tilted his umbrella a little, glancing up at his sensei. He began to wonder how Kakashi's gravity-defying hair could also defy the elements… It didn't look limp or frizzed at all from the rain.

"Let's get going, then!"

----------------------------------------------------------

As Team 7, minus Naruto, made their way back to the village, Sasuke couldn't help but feel miserable. He had simply thrown his umbrella away, seeing as how it was useless anyways. Thoroughly soaked, he practically dragged himself back home. He muttered his goodbyes to a bright-looking Kakashi and a drowned-rat Sakura. As he finally collapsed into a chair at home, he began breathing heavily.

"HAH-CHOO!!"

Sasuke groaned, wiping his nose miserably. He reluctantly stood up then dragged himself over to a counter where he began collecting a teapot and some tealeaves. When he was done fixing his tea, he slowly made the ascent to his room.

The trip to his room felt like hours. When he finally slid open the paper door, he took a large swig of tea and sighed. Setting the cup on his nightstand, the miserable Sasuke fell onto his bed with an unceremonious 'thud', not even bothering to change out of his wet clothes. He was completely drained, and all he wanted was sleep.

As he lay on his chest, head turned to the side, he once again found himself thinking about Naruto. The raindrops pattered softly on his roof, and the soft creaking of the old house seemed to keep Sasuke awake… well, barely. His eyelids began to feel like lead, and so the boy welcomed the darkness by closing them.

"Naruto…" Sasuke mumbled, sniffling from his new but unwelcome cold.

Before he fell asleep, he made a promise to himself that he would visit the blond in the morning, just to see how he was. Now that he thought about it, it was awfully strange that Naruto hadn't shown up for the meeting.

Then again, it _was_ Saturday. Why had he even bothered going with Kakashi and Sakura, anyways?

"Nngh… what a _miserable_ day."

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**Author's Notes: **Mrr, a little shorter than intended, however, I hope the next chapter will be longer. This chapter is about 2 000 words… which seems to be the average of each chapter? Ah well! I said what I wanted to be said for Naruto, and well, now I've got Kakashi involved. He can sort of act as a Matchmaker or something. oOa But anyway, thanks again for your reviews, and to all the smarties out there who guessed that it was Kakashi coming for a visit. XD I believe next chapter will be a little awkward between Sasuke and Naruto, but hey, que sera sera

**PS:** I'll _try_ to incorporate some more Kakashi/Iruka next chapter, too!! XD (I just don't want the rating to skyrocket… Eehee. XD;;;)


	7. Rain

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, Sasuke, or any of the characters in this Fanfic. All characters (unless otherwise stated) are copyrighted to Kishimoto Masashi.

**Warning:** This Fanfic contains boy's love, also known as shounen-ai, homosexuality, slash, etcetera, etcetera. However, I will not write anything hardcore, because well… I'm young and shouldn't write anything hardcore. XD;; So anyways, if you still want to read, then go ahead. Please leave comments and criticism; I love to hear from the readers!

**Author Says: **Exams are over!! And you know what that means. :3 More time for your BL-depraved author to write Naruto fics. XD! For all the readers out there that like my style of writing, I'll let you know now that once this fic is complete, I'll be working on Kingdom Heart fics, and most definitely more Naruto fics. I just need to brainstorm and think of original ideas… This one lacks originality, but I hope the ones to come will make you go, "wow, Shinksay is sure a genius!" (Probably won't happen. XD!) But anyways, enough outta' me. Read on!

**Pairings: **Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka (for those of you who don't know me personally, I'll tell you now that I hate practically every girl in Anime. _Especially_ Sakura. So yes, expect Sakura bashing. )

----------------------------------------------------------

**The Things You Say**

-Chapter seven: the Rain-

"Tell me, Iruka."

"Na-Naruto! Are you sure you want to hear—"

"I did say _tell me_, didn't I?!"

"Okay, okay… You might as well sit down, then."

Naruto plopped down on a simple chair just in front of Iruka's desk, then folded his arms over his chest, awaiting the valuable information he'd been dying to hear for some time. He could barely sleep last night because he was so curious about this 'talk' Kakashi had told him about. As Naruto watched a flustered Iruka take a seat, he almost pounced his sensei for being so slow.

"AUGH! Stop twiddling your thumbs and _tell me_!!" Naruto demanded, and when Iruka bit his lower lip, still uncertain, Naruto decided it was time to pull out the big guns.

It was time for 'the pout'.

"Iruka… please?" Naruto pleaded, his eyes welling up with tears. His lower lip began to quiver ever so slightly, and he looked directly at Iruka. The man's eyes widened at the "onslaught", then finally caved in.

"OKAY!! I'll tell you!!" Iruka said, and threw a stack of papers at Naruto. Upon recovering from the mass of papers that hit his face, the blond grinned and gave two thumbs up.

"Yeah! You're such a sucker, Iruka," Naruto teased, and Iruka could only glare.

"_Anyways_," the brunette said, folding his arms over his desk. He cleared his throat, and began.

"Well you see… There comes a point in a boy's life when it's time for him to become a man." He started, choosing his words carefully. Iruka thought that had sounded very mature, but by the flat stare he was receiving from Naruto, the blond was clearly very unimpressed.

"…"

"They experience some _changes_," Iruka continued, trying to somehow lasso Naruto's attention. "Changes could include your voice getting deeper, you get taller, etcetera."

"I was stressing over _this_?!" Naruto complained, and Iruka sighed and shook his head.

"Well, _other_ changes could include your perspective on other people," he continued, and at Naruto's silence, he figured he might have triggered something.

"What _kinda'_ changes in perspective?" Naruto prompted, narrowing his eyes slightly at the brunette. Iruka smiled.

"You develop different feelings for that person. The most common feeling would be attraction."

"…Eh?"

"For example," Iruka began, looking up thoughtfully. "Let's say you've known this… girl since you were very young. Suddenly, you start feeling differently towards her. You seem to notice her more, and you like what you see. Does that make sense?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side slightly, thinking. His first thought was of Sakura, but for some reason he didn't get the usual flustered expression. He blinked, and tried to picture her again, but still, there was no reaction.

"Uhh, Iruka, can you _lose_ attraction or whatever for someone?" Naruto asked. Iruka's brows rose, but he nodded.

"Of course. Attraction was only an example, Naruto. You could also lose the feelings you had for that person, because you're changing. You develop different preferences, I guess you could say." The brunette explained, but suddenly looked curious. "Why do you ask? Are you not feeling the same about Sakura anymore?"

Naruto blushed furiously.

"WHAAAT?!! Did Kakashi tell you anything??" The boy exclaimed, rising to his feet and smacking his palms down onto the desk. Iruka chuckled.

"No."

Naruto narrowed his eyes then plopped back down into the chair with a huff.

"Did you ask that because you've developed feelings for someone else?" Iruka said, eyeing the blond with an unreadable expression. Naruto blinked then blushed again.

"Could it be… Sasuke, by any chance?"

Silence.

"YOU LIED!! KAKASHI _DID_ TELL YOU SOMETHING!!" Naruto yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Iruka. The man's eyes widened in mild surprise, but otherwise he just sat there calmly.

"You're easy to read, Naruto, that's all." He said, and watched as the boy shot to his feet and stormed towards the door.

"It's not what you think!" Naruto blurted, still blushing.

"Then what is it?" Iruka pressed. The blond turned to give Iruka an angry look, but it began to fade as he averted his gaze.

"It… it just isn't what you think."

With that, Naruto opened the door to Iruka's office, then left with a silent "click!".

"Naruto… If only you'd just talk to me. I feel so useless…" Iruka sighed, leaning back in his chair. He relaxed all his muscles, closed his eyes, and began to doze. Everything was so stressful as it was, and now it had just gotten worse.

----------------------------------------------------------

When Sasuke's eyes finally blinked open, it was late afternoon. He frowned, cursing himself for oversleeping then wondering why he hadn't woken up sooner.

A loud sneeze quickly reminded him.

As the dark-haired boy slowly rose from his bed, he mentally cursed himself for falling asleep in his wet clothes. He now felt extremely cold, and even more congested than he probably would have if he had changed into dry clothes earlier. Sasuke felt miserable, and despite it being two o'clock in the afternoon, he was still dead tired.

He snuffled, reaching down to his nightstand to pull a few tissues from a plain-coloured box. The dark-haired boy blew his nose into one of the tissues then tossed it into a can somewhere on the other side of the room.

In all honesty, Sasuke didn't even know why he had bothered waking up. He wanted to stay in bed, and to just let his dreamless sleep consume him. But he couldn't, because he remembered his promise from the night before that he would pay a visit to a certain blond-haired troublemaker.

"Damn it, Naruto…"

He shuffled over to his closet, where he randomly selected a black shirt with the Uchiha insignia on both shoulders and the back, as well as a matching pair of shorts, and a couple of wristbands to make his ensemble look more thought out.

After he was showered and changed, Sasuke decided to skip breakfast and just go find Naruto. The blond was probably out and about, which would make his job much more tedious than he wanted. But promises were promises, and he would keep this one.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Am I really that easy to read?" Naruto grumbled to himself, kicking at a stray rock that happened to be in his way on the sidewalk.

The sky was still an ominous shade of gray, and the clouds were still looming overhead, threatening a downpour at any second. The sky mirrored Naruto's innermost thoughts. He decided that his plans weren't going to work, and that maybe it just wasn't worth it anymore…

_But everything is set up, I just need to snip the ribbon,_ Naruto told himself, but it just seemed too troublesome now. He was vaguely connecting with his (former?) rival, and even with that tiny bond, he felt things for Sasuke that he had never experienced before. Naruto wondered if Sasuke felt the same way, but dismissed it immediately. That was never going to happen.

"Oh, sorry—"

Too consumed by his thoughts, Naruto had carelessly bumped into a passerby. How convenient.

"…Naruto?"

The blond looked up, only to find a rather miserable-looking Sasuke looking back at him. Stumbling on words, Naruto just blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"You okay?"

Sasuke blinked, and Naruto mentally kicked himself. Why did he ask? It wasn't his business whether or not the Uchiha boy was "okay" or not. Or was it now?

How annoyingly confusing.

"Yeah, whatever." Sasuke said casually, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I was looking for you, though."

"Oh… Um… Why?" Naruto replied, trying to calm himself. Why was he so flustered?

"Dunno'. Just wanted to talk, I guess." Sasuke shrugged, then turned away to cover his mouth as he coughed.

"N-not that I care or anything, but uh, you sound kinda' sick…"

"Because I am."

"Shouldn't you be in bed, then?"

"That's my business, not yours."

"I'm only wondering…"

"Keep your wondering to yourself, then."

"Fine!! I won't care about you anymore!"

"You already said you didn't."

"But I do—"

"That's what I thought—Wait, what?"

Before Naruto could even stop himself, the words had already tumbled from his mouth. The blond could only gape, feeling completely embarrassed. Sasuke stared right back, trying to form a complete response to that.

"Uhh—What I mean to say is—"

"Whatever. I just need to talk to you," Sasuke said, turning away to cough again. When he looked back at Naruto, the blond was holding one hand out, with his palm facing upwards. He was also looking at the sky, and he frowned.

"It's gonna' rain…"

Sasuke, too, looked up, and made a face as he felt a raindrop slide down his cheek. He looked back at Naruto, who in turn looked back at Sasuke.

"Let's go to my house. It's closer." Naruto started, but Sasuke caught his wrist.

"No, my house; yours is filthy."

Naruto gave the dark-haired boy a flat stare, but silently agreed and both boys darted off towards the Uchiha mansion.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Mmm… Kakashi, that feels so good"

Iruka was almost entirely limp in his lover's arms. He was in absolute bliss as Kakashi sensually massaged the juncture where shoulder met neck on Iruka's backside. Closing his eyes, the brunette would have gladly drifted off into paradise, had there not been a gentle nip at his left ear.

"Iruka, you still haven't told me what's been driving you mad…" Kakashi said, nuzzling his lover's neck. Iruka sighed, looking down at his lap.

"You already know…" Iruka's reply sounded almost like a whine. The silver-haired man chuckled, and pulled Iruka close to his chest and lazily draped his arms around his shoulders.

"I can't read your mind; and it'll make you feel better if you give voice to your inner thoughts, Iruka-koi." Kakashi whispered into Iruka's ear with his usual drawling tone. The brunette tilted his head back slightly, resting it on Kakashi's collarbone.

"It's Naruto," Iruka began, opening his eyes slightly. "I tried to nudge him about the Sasuke-thing, but he just bristled and shied away from me. I don't understand…"

Kakashi was silent for a moment, and this encouraged Iruka to continue.

"I know he has feelings for Sasuke, but he just doesn't understand them. I don't either, for that matter. First he hates him for whatever reasons, now he likes him."

"That's what he's playing it as, anyway." Kakashi said, planting a gentle kiss on Iruka's neck. The brunette sighed then shifted slightly.

"I think he's testing the waters, to try and figure out what his feelings are." Iruka explained, trying to form some sense of the topic in his mind. "But… I could be wrong."

"You could be, but then again you know him best. You're right about Naruto's confusion, but there's something else there. I think he knows how he feels; he's just in denial." Kakashi explained, his tone sounding somewhat playful.

"Denial?"

"Reminds me of someone…"

"Kakashi…"

"No, it reminds me of you."

"I know, I know! But I don't regret my decision, although you didn't give me much room _to_ decide…"

"Of course not. Why would I?"

With that, Kakashi reached up with one hand to gently turn his lover's head to the side. Complying, Iruka lifted his chin so that his lips were just slightly brushing against Kakashi's.

"I do love you, though." He murmured, a small smile gracing his lips.

"And I love you, my Iruka."

There was some slight shifting of bodies, a gentle rustling of sheets, and then a pleasured sigh. After that, the noises that came from Kakashi's room were undistinguishable, because unfortunately, Iruka thought to close the door behind him.

----------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Notes:** Still a little short? I thought it was alright… I'm also very sorry for the ridiculously long wait, but hey, exams interfered with my creative side. Please forgive me! I hope you enjoyed 'the talk', although I do wish I had made it funnier… My humour just wasn't in me today, so I apologize for that, too. Next chapter will be much more fun to write, I think. I can't say what will happen, but let's just say Naruto gets proved wrong, and he finds the answer the hard way. snickers


	8. Fog

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, Sasuke, or any of the characters in this Fanfic. All characters (unless otherwise stated) are copyrighted to Kishimoto Masashi.

**Warning:** This Fanfic contains boy's love, also known as shounen-ai, homosexuality, slash, etcetera, etcetera. However, I will not write anything hardcore, because well… I'm young and shouldn't write anything hardcore. XD;; So anyways, if you still want to read, then go ahead. Please leave comments and criticism; I love to hear from the readers!

**Author Says:** Woot, update, finally! For all the readers out there that like my style of writing, I'll let you know now that once this fic is complete, I'll be working on Kingdom Hearts fics, and most definitely more Naruto fics. I just need to brainstorm and think of original ideas… This one lacks originality, but I hope the ones to come will make you go, "wow, Shinksay is sure a genius!" (Probably won't happen. XD!) But anyways, enough outta' me. Read on!

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka (for those of you who don't know me personally, I'll tell you now that I hate practically every girl in Anime. _Especially_ Sakura. So yes, expect Sakura bashing. +)

* * *

**The Things You Say**

-Chapter seven: the Fog-

The loud sounds of slamming of cupboards and rummaging could be heard throughout the whole of the Uchiha mansion. Sasuke was surprised the house wasn't shaking under the blond fury that was Naruto, who was currently digging through Sasuke's pantry. The blond emerged from the pantry with an annoyed face, and he turned to glare at Sasuke, who merely arched a brow, not understanding what on earth was possessing this boy to turn his kitchen upside down. Just as he was about to voice his thoughts, the blond disappeared beneath his sink. All that could be seen was Naruto's backside wiggling left and right from the boy's rummaging. Sasuke sighed.

"What are you looking for?" His tone was casual, but laced with annoyance. When Naruto seemed to have ignored Sasuke's question, Sasuke felt a twitch coming on.

"Why the hell are you destroying my kitchen?" Sasuke pressed, crossing his arms and leaning back against a wall.

"A-HAH!"

Sasuke blinked.

Naruto emerged with a triumphant look on his face as he held high a dusty box of… something or other. The dark-haired boy looked closer, and realized just what the dust-covered box was. Another sigh.

"Ramen…?"

"Yeah, and you only had ONE FREAKING BOWL! How do you _live_!" Naruto whined, hugging the bowl close to his chest. Sasuke frowned.

"I cook." He said, now not even bothering to hide his aggravation. Naruto grinned, then shook his head.

"You _clearly_ haven't been introduced to the holy thing that is… a _microwave_." Naruto explained, the last part in a somewhat mystical tone. He tore the lid from the cup Ramen, and peered inside at the delicious, dried contents. He sighed dreamily; the scent of Ramen was just as he imagined Heaven to smell like.

Sasuke snorted.

He walked over to the blond and quite easily plucked the treasure from his arms.

"You shouldn't eat this, you know. It's unhealthy."

"_WHAT_! Give that back!" Naruto yelled, trying to grab his precious cup Ramen back.

"No." Sasuke said flatly, turning away from Naruto so that the boy couldn't reach the Ramen.

"Aww come on! It's perfectly fine! It has noodles, vegetables, meat… uh, other good stuff?" Naruto whined.

"Don't make me sneeze on it." Sasuke glared over his shoulder, and the boy's eyes widened in horror.

"You wouldn't…!"

"Try me."

"SASUKE! NOOO!"

_AH-CHOOO!_

Naruto watched as his defiled bowl of Ramen was thrown into the waste bin beneath Sasuke's sink; the sanctuary in which his precious Ramen had first been discovered. He could almost feel tears welling up in his eyes as his Ramen was put to waste.

"How could you _do_ such a thing? You monster!" Naruto whimpered, sinking to the floor.

"Oh come on, it was just an expired bowl of cancer…" Sasuke sighed then began digging through his fridge.

"It was perfectly fine… You didn't even give it a chance!" Naruto glared at Sasuke's back, looking crushed.

"It's for your own good."

"I will _avenge_ that bowl of Ramen!"

"Oh _please_…"

"RAWR!"

"Naru—ACK!"

Sasuke had _not_ seen that attack coming at all. There was a flurry of blond and orange, and suddenly the boy was on top of him, pinning Sasuke to the ground.

"Does it really mean _that_ much to you?" Sasuke asked, forcing a bored tone.

"Not really. I just like catching you off-guard."

"I let you do that."

"Lies! Now say you're sorry!"

"Sorry? For what?"

"For defiling my Ramen!"

"…Snort I'm sorry."

"Good. Now cook me some _healthy_ Ramen."

"You sure I won't poison it?"

"Not even poison can stop me!"

As Naruto grinned triumphantly, Sasuke unceremoniously shoved the boy off of him. He got to his feet, and walked back over to the fridge to dig for some vegetables.

"You're so predictable," Sasuke said, pulling out several vegetables then set them on the counter. He closed the fridge door with his foot, then turned to smirk at Naruto.

"Am not. I got you so good just now!" The blond shot back with a grin, springing to his feet then walked over to Sasuke's side.

"I _let_ you get me. There's a difference," the dark-haired boy continued, handing Naruto a knife and a head of lettuce.

"Yeah, yeah. You're just embarrassed that I got you _sooo_ good," Naruto jeered right back, chopping the lettuce into uneven slices. He wasn't very experienced with this "microwaveless" business.

"Now, where do I keep my snake venom…" Sasuke smirked again, reaching for a cupboard overhead to pull out several bottles containing spices.

"Y-you're joking, right?" Naruto said, giving Sasuke an uncertain look. The dark-haired boy laughed lightly, then turned away to cough.

"I still say you should be in bed," Naruto mumbled, then walked over to the stove and pulled down a pot from overhead.

"That's sweet, Naruto, but I don't trust your cooking 'skills'. You'd probably poison me unintentionally," he said, reaching into another cupboard to pull out a large bag of noodles. Naruto huffed and glared at Sasuke, but he didn't retort. It was somewhat true, after all…

After a long conversation and a few exchanged punches, the boys were sitting at opposite sides of a long table in the dining room. Sasuke was looking down at his steaming Ramen with an uncertain look, examining it with nitpicking precision.

"You added things," Sasuke stated, lifting a pair of chopsticks from the table and began to prod the altered Ramen. Naruto looked up from the bowl of Ramen he was huddled over, and tried to talk around the noodles hanging from his mouth, but by the disgusted look on Sasuke's face, Naruto was failing to get his response through. He quickly slurped the noodles up then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Yeah, just some spicy stuff. Don't be a wuss, just try it!" Naruto said, then went back to eating. Sasuke gave the Ramen before him the same disgusted look he had given Naruto. With the chopsticks, he plucked a full hot pepper from his bowl.

"Naruto… What is this doing here?"

"I shaid isht jusht shum shpishy shtuffsh!" The blond replied, giving Sasuke an exasperated look. "Jusht eat ih!"

The dark-haired boy fished out a few noodles with his chopsticks, then slowly brought the food to his lips. With a deep intake of breath, he took a bite.

It was… _okay_.

**

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**

After the dishes were taken care of, Naruto peered outside a window in the room that branched off from the kitchen.

"It's still raining…" He said, although it was more of an offhand comment to himself. The blond watched as the rain began forming puddles, but that was really all he could see… Everything was otherwise enshrouded in thick clouds of fog.

"Nn," Sasuke mumbled, walking into the same room then stood beside Naruto. All that passed between them was silence, until finally, Sasuke spoke up.

"Why are you acting so weird?"

At first, the blond blinked and gave Sasuke a strange look, as though that had been a ridiculous question. He wasn't acting strange… was he?

"I don't know what you mean," he shrugged, still keeping his eyes on the dark-haired boy.

"…Yes, you do. You suddenly went bi-polar, or something else happened. That… that thing I said, and then suddenly you just… brushed it off?" Sasuke said, focusing his gaze beyond the window. "It—It… it's been bothering me."

Naruto could tell Sasuke was really fighting every word that came from his mouth. He made small winces whenever he paused, as though it were the most difficult thing in the world to say how he felt. But Naruto could relate, he already knew that he couldn't say everything that was going on in his head. Although despite Sasuke's question being perfectly valid, Naruto had not thought ahead, and therefore, didn't really have an answer.

"I—I… don't know what you mean…"

As another silence fell over the boys, Naruto looked down at his bare feet, feeling awkward. This plan of his really wasn't going to work. Although then again, spending all this time with Sasuke had made all hatred in him seem to just—disappear.

"I'd explain it if I could, but I just can't. You wouldn't understand," Naruto said, forcing the words out of his mouth. Of course Sasuke would understand! He was one of the brightest kids in all of Konoha, and by this point, Naruto wouldn't have been surprised if Sasuke had already figured it out. This was only going to get more awkward.

"You can, so start."

He didn't even need to turn and see the glare on Sasuke's face; he had already seen it coming. After all this time training together, Naruto was quite accustomed to the Uchiha boy's huge distaste in people straying from the point.

"Fine, but… Okay, whatever. Just don't say anything!" Naruto said, trying to sound stronger than he actually felt, but he knew it was failing.

"Well…" He began, shifting awkwardly, trying to think of what to say. Sasuke was watching the boy, and could almost feel the boy's discomfort.

"No—This is stupid. You should figure this out for yourself! I mean—it should be obvious by now!" Naruto bit out then turned and started for the door.

Sasuke made no move to stop the boy, until suddenly, he felt that he _had_ to.

"Naruto, wait—" He reached out and lightly grabbed the blond's wrist. Too embarrassed to turn around, Naruto only stood there silently. Sasuke exhaled deeply.

"I don't understand this, and I especially don't understand _you_. But I'll never understand fully unless you tell me."

"Come on—this is stupid…"

"Shut up, dobe, and let me talk."

"Hey!"

"Look at me." Sasuke said, tugging at the boy's arm.

"No…" Naruto bit his lower lip, determined not to turn around. Sasuke tugged again, but this tug was a lot stronger than Naruto had anticipated. He practically flew backwards, but landed on Sasuke. He tried to talk, to say something smart, to demand that he be able to leave. But for some reason, he couldn't find the ability to form words. And for some reason, Sasuke was kissing him.

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**Author's Notes:** Ahhh, what a terrible way to end a chapter! I know, I know… I hate it when authors suddenly turn into complete jackasses and leave the readers hanging off cliffs, but it had to be done for the sake of capturing the right mood for the first _real_ kiss. This might seem completely OOC, and while re-reading this it only seemed more apparent. However, you all need to keep in mind how Sasuke and Naruto have been interacting throughout the Fic so far. They're getting closer, and the reason this chapter didn't have too much advancement in plot is because I needed to set things up. Also, you might wonder why Naruto didn't give Sasuke his life story to explain his situation? I thought that would be stupid and cliché, so I decided to keep him IC there… There's no way Naruto would spill that kind of thing to Sasuke, unless of course… Well, nevermind. XD So, now the question is, why did Sasuke kiss Naruto? Well, perhaps that will be answered in the next chapter, who knows? But yes, expect some awkward moments and other stuff in Chapter 9. Ohh, and some Sakura bashing. She needs some. 


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